Ashburnham House, dining room: 1882

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Ashburnham House, dining room, 1882. This photograph was commissioned by the Society for Photographing Relics of Old London to form part of a permanent visual record of historic buildings threatened with alteration or possible demolition in the 1870s and 80s. Ashburnham house was built in the late 17th century and is attributed to Inigo Jones or his pupil John Webb. It was acquired by Westminster School in 1868 but at the time the photograph was taken its future was uncertain. However, a public campaign led by William Morris succeeded in preventing its demolition, though not the surrounding medieval buildings, and it is now one of the school buildings.